Marching Band Costumes: Japanese Country Trends


Figure 1.--We notice a few photographs of Japanese marching bands. We know virtually nothing about these bnds. They may have been school groups, but we are not sure about this. The groups we have noted include boys and girls.

We notice a few photographs of Japanese marching bands. We know virtually nothing about these bands. We do not know who sponsors them. They may have been school groups, but we are not sure about this. The groups we have noted include boys and girls. We also notice the band members wearing informal uniforms--often with berets. Unlike American and European bands, there is not hint of a military influence in the uniforms. We do notice the children wearing berets. This is rare in Japan, especially for boys. The group here is wearing berets (figure 1). Note the logo on their berets. It represents a school or some other organization, but we do not know precisely what this group was. We have no idea what the children are playing. The white shirts and blue shorts and skirts look rather like school uniforms with a yellow kerchief added for a little flare and color. Some bands have uniforms that look more like the school gym uniform. The instruments varied, but trumpets are very common.

Sponsor

We notice a few photographs of Japanese marching bands. We know virtually nothing about these bands. We do not know who sponsors them. They may have been school groups, but we are not sure about this. They certainly do look like school groups. The fact that many impages, like the one here, show the children wearing school uniforms is a strong indication that they are school sponsored bands. The group here looks like a primary school.

Members

The groups we have noted include boys and girls. This is another indicator tht these are school bands. Most primary schools in Japan are coeducationl.

Uniforms

We also notice the band members wearing informal uniforms--often with berets. Unlike American and European bands, there is not hint of a military influence in the uniforms. We do notice the children wearing berets. This is rare in Japan, especially for boys. The group here is wearing berets (figure 1). Note the logo on their berets. It represents a school or some other organization, but we do not know precisely what this group was. The white shirts and blue shorts and skirts look rather like school uniforms with a yellow kerchief added for a little flare and color. Some bands have uniforms that look more like the school gym uniform. White short pants in Japan are widely used as a gym uniforms. Some bands seem to use just the basic gym uniforms perhaps with caps or berets added. We note some schools going a bit firther, perhaps adding a colorful vest (waistcoat).

Instruments

The instruments varied, but trumpets are very common. We have no idea what the children here are playing (figure 1). Some bands have a very narrow range of instruments while in others we see buggles, clarinets, fifes, tubas and other instruments.







HBC







Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Page
[Return to the Main marching band country page]
[Return to the Main Japanese activity page]
[Introduction] [Activities] [Biographies] [Chronology] [Clothing styles] [Countries]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [FAQs] [Glossaries] [Satellite sites] [Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]



Related Chronolgy Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[Main Chronology Page]
[The 1880s] [The 1930s] [The 1940s] [The 1950s]
[The 1960s] [The 1970s] [The 1980s]



Navigate the Historic Boys' Clothing Web style pages:
[Kilts] [Caps] [Sailor suits] [Sailor hats] [School uniform] [Youth group bands]



Created: 6:06 AM 8/7/2004
Last updated: 1:40 AM 11/7/2004